Misfits: Episode Five

Rudy: 'Oh, therapy... I love it.'

After the mayhem and time travel of the past two weeks, tonight's episode was more a sedate traipse through character development territory. For the first non-Howard Overman penned episode of the series, I’d say tonight's offering was a success. Rudy's dialogue was as sharp as it's ever been, and provided some much needed relief during the occasional lapse in pace. We also bid a fond adieu to the notorious Shaun. (To his credit, he did manage to stay alive longer than his predecessors.) So, for the most part, I'd say Jon Brown did a competent job. Which can only be good news for next week's similarly Overman-lite outing.

Misfits: Episode Four

Kelly: 'No! You’re not allowed to die.'

Tonight’s episode picked up a seemingly throwaway line from season two and ran with it to incredulity shattering lengths. Last year we learned how Seth sold Curtis’ superpower to some Jewish guy who wanted to kill Hitler—tonight, we got to see how Friedrich Hisch made out. Unsurprisingly, not very well. Instead of preventing the war, his dropped mobile phone gave the Nazis the tactical advantage needed to win, resulting in a poignant, shocking, sometimes hilarious trip through an alternate-history Britain. Oh, and Kelly mullered Hitler.

Misfits: Episode Three

Peter: 'A superhero has to be prepared to die for what he believes in.'

Which is Howard Overman’s not-so-subtle way of reminding us that Simon’s going to die and there’s not a whole lot anyone can do about it. Promising not to travel back in time won't save him—it's already happened. Alisha being alive is proof of that. Simon's story arc is by far the most interesting on the show; the chasm between the man he is, and the man he’ll one day become, is rapidly shrinking. Tonight Superhoodie saved his first innocent, and by way of thanks, Peter laid the foundations for his demise. Now there’s gratitude for you.

Misfits: Episode Two

Melissa: 'You have no idea what it feels like to be a woman.'

I was hoping that with Nathan gone, Howard Overman would spend more time rounding out the show’s characters, and tonight’s episode did just that. For Kelly, Simon and Alisha, community service has been something of a blessing: it’s given them a sense of purpose, some much needed self-worth, and a unique (if twisted) camaraderie. For Curtis, however, it’s been a real step backwards. Before his drugs conviction, he was the only misfit whose life wasn’t an unmitigated disaster. He was someone with real talent. He had a future. In short: he wasn’t a misfit at all.

Misfits: Episode One

Rudy: 'My face. Am I... am I still gorgeous?'

2011 is pretty much a make or break year for Misfits. With Robert Sheehan’s departure back in April, the show lost its most handsome, most disgusting, funniest, most Irish sounding character. Nathan was the hub of the rusted, buckled, sometimes punctured Misfits wheel, so it should come as no surprise that the backlash has already started. Robert Sheehan was trending on Twitter even as the show was airing—which is pretty amazing considering he wasn't even in the episode. Should a show continue once its most popular character has departed? I suspect that’s a question we’ll be asking from now until Christmas.